Towards a novel application of wastewater-based epidemiology in population-wide assessment of exposure to volatile organic compounds

Towards a novel application of wastewater-based epidemiology in population-wide assessment of exposure to volatile organic compounds

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of detecting 35 urinary biomarkers of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure in community wastewater. 24-h composited municipal wastewater samples were collected from two communities (n = 8) in the southeastern US. Using isotope-dilution liquid chro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2022-11, Vol.845, p.157008-157008, Article 157008
Main Authors: Kumar, Rahul, Adhikari, Sangeet, Driver, Erin M., Smith, Ted, Bhatnagar, Aruni, Lorkiewicz, Pawel K., Xie, Zhengzhi, Hoetker, J. David, Halden, Rolf U.
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Air pollution
Exposure assessment
Indoor air pollution
Occupational exposure
Outdoor air pollution
Urinary biomarkers
VOCs
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Summary:In this study, we investigated the feasibility of detecting 35 urinary biomarkers of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure in community wastewater. 24-h composited municipal wastewater samples were collected from two communities (n = 8) in the southeastern US. Using isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, results showed 16 metabolites were detected in wastewater samples, including indicators of exposure to acrolein, acrylonitrile, 1,3-butadiene, crotonaldehyde, n,n-dimethylformamide (DMF), ethylbenzene, nicotine, propylene oxide, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, and xylene. Additional metabolites qualitatively identified exposure to acrylamide and trichloroethylene. Community 1 (closer proximity to manufacturing facilities) had a greater number of detects (n = 36) and higher VOC loadings, 22,000 mg day−1 per 1000 people, as compared to Community 2 (n = 28), 7100 mg day−1 per 1000 people. Normalizing to nicotine consumption biomarkers to account for differences in smoking behaviors, Community 1 continued to have higher levels of propylene oxide, crotonaldehyde, DMF, and acrylonitrile exposures, VOCs generally sourced from manufacturing activities and vehicle emissions. This is the first study to utilize wastewater to detect urinary biomarkers of VOCs exposure. These preliminary results suggest the WBE approach as a potentially powerful tool to assess community health exposures to indoor and outdoor air pollutants. [Display omitted] •First WBE study to measure VOC metabolites in wastewater to assess exposure•16 VOC metabolites measured in community wastewater indicative of 12 unique VOCs•Variable VOC metabolite loadings between communities with diverse outdoor air quality•Cotinine used to normalize VOC metabolite loadings for nicotine consumption variability
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026